Northmount

138, 207, 277 are all fine. Most tote bags won't see really heavy stress on the threads, other than abrasion likely on the bottoms. If glued (contact cement) as well, there is likely little chance of the leather pulling apart. For linings, there is a wide range of materials. Do you want fancy or plain and tough? A light weight canvas type material would take a lot of beating. It frays easily so edges need to be rolled over or otherwise bound to keep it nice and neat. Needs to be pre-shrunk is there is any chance that it will get wet. There is a stretchy velvet like material that would look nice and I believe that because it is stretchy, it should take a fair amount of abuse too, though I don't know how long before the velvet surface would look worn. Looking at that side, probably not a good choice. Polyester material wears well, doesn't shrink, should last a long time. Maybe some others will chime in and correct me if I've strayed too far! Tom

Keep the leather and zipper flat. If you bend it while stitching, the inside radius is smaller, and if that is the side the zipper is on, it will bunch up. Glue or double sided tape helps, but keeping it flat is still required until all stitching is finished. Oh, and don't stretch the zipper fabric. For those that use machines, walking foot compound machines feed both the top and bottom together. Bottom feed only with the zipper on the bottom is going to bunch up, and stretching to keep things straight may not help in all cases. Tom

Sark9 is right, behind the hinges not the head pulley center-line. That's how good my memory is! The belt cutout doesn't need to be connected to the head cutout, but if the strip between is getting too thin for the type of material you are using, I would join them. Materials like MDF and some others aren't very strong when cut narrow, so take it out now, rather than later if per chance it gets broken out. Tom

From another thread here (which I haven't searched for, so I'm going by memory), the motor pulley vertical center-line only needs to be just behind the machine pulley vertical center-line, which allows you to tip the head back without having to loosen the belt first. Tipping the head back will relieve the tension on the belt and allow you to slip it off, or work under the head if needed. How far back is more for your convenience. The link to the pedal doesn't need to be vertical. Tom

Moved to "How do I do that" Tom

For Firefox, look at https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-do-i-use-firefox-spell-checker. It used to be an add-in but is now part of FF. I've been using FF as my preferred browser for several years. Tom

Very nice looking. It is really hard to get rid of nicks and dings in leather. Some can be burnished out, but might require a large area to be burnished to blend to smooth leather. For blood, dab it off immediately, then use lukewarm water dab it on, dab with a dry cloth to absorb the water and blood. Try not to soak it too much and avoid spreading it out further. Bleach with oxalic acid. You will likely have to bleach the whole piece to get an even colour. #1, don't cut yourself, and if you do, drop your work and get away from it, go look after the cut. Then come back to it, hopefully with no blood splatter! Tom

I clamp a couple pieces of wood on the front and back, lined up with where you want the corner. Heat with a heat gun until it will bend easily, not too much or will make wrinkles. Press the heated side of the corner against your granite slab or cold counter top and hold for a moment until it cools off. Tom

For slots, punch a hole at each end and cut out between with a sharp knife held against a steel rule. Tom

Seal/finish them front and back to reduce the water absorption. Should help some. I second making them 2 layers. I did a small sample about 4x5" for a 3 ring binder cover. 7-8 oz front, stiffening material, and 3-4 oz back. Both sides sealed. Seems quite solid. All glued together and edges are stitched. Tom

Spell checker is part of your browser (or in some cases Operating System). Some browsers have add-ins or extensions that you can add. Tom

http://www.amazon.com/Duck-240225-Repair-Aluminum-1-88-Inch/dp/B0000DI82JThere are various types/manufactures. Search aluminum foil tape Tom

3 Fords, 3 failed transmissions requiring complete rebuilds. 1 tranny took 3 rebuilds before I could drive 100 miles without problems. All the reusable parts tolerances all added up in the same direction, so they had to replace all hard parts. Multiple GM versions of cars, no transmission problems. Tom

Cut a strip with and without contamination and test it. Then you will know how much you need to use to cover it. Have you tried deglazer? It might work, again you need to test it. Different dyes (manufacturers) may respond differently too, so one person's experience might not work for another with a different source. Tom

Try http://www.leightons.ca located south of Edmonton, new and reconditioned used machines. Tom

Yes, there are several posts. If you've found only one, continue your search and you will find them. "apartment" might be one of the words to search for. And welcome to the forum. Tom

The point I was making is that water is a solvent, so a solvent based finish doesn't tell much about the type of finish. For your edification here are a couple links you can look up. https://water.usgs.gov/edu/solvent.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_solvent You could do a Google search and find many more if you are so inclined. Our purpose here is to help members and visitors learn and develop their craft and abilities. Think about it, then review your comment. I think we all know that there is no universal solvent that will dissolve all types of materials. If there was, what container would you keep it in? From my limited experience, acetone doesn't contain water, but will still lift water based dyes. Tom

Water is the universal solvent. So describing a finish as solvent based does not say what the solvent is. A lacquer type finish uses acetone or similar petrochemical solvents. A water based finish uses water as the solvent. Most petrochemical solvents will soften or dissolve many water based dyes and finishes. Before applying a finish, water based or petrochemical based solvents, make sure the dye has properly dried and buff the surface until no more pigment lifts off. Then apply your finish. Avoid too much scrubbing action, or you may lift some dye back to the surface and spread it around. Water based finish on water based dyes don't usually lift too easily. But lacquer types will lift water based dyes quite easily. So air brushing light coats rather than a scrubbing action is less likely to get you into trouble. Air brushing or sheep skin applicators or brushes work. They all take some practice to work out the best method for your type of work. So do some experimentation, develop what works for you, then stick with it. Tom

One thing to consider with an axe sheath, how long is the axe handle? I don't like having to feed 3 feet of handle through the sheath to put the sheath on or take it off. So for this case, I prefer a welt at the sharp edge of the blade, and a flap that folds over the head. Instead of a flap, can use a strap angled to run across the handle, just behind the head. For a short handled axe (read hatchet), handle length is not as much of a factor. Tom

There is a type of aluminum foil used for sealing joints in furnace and other ducting. It comes with self-stick glue and tear off strip. Typically 2" wide rolls. So could easily be used to line pockets. Tom

Welcome to the forum and hopefully, the addiction. What type of work are you interested in doing? Lots of avenues to pursue. Tom

People might like to know your location so they will know a little more about what to expect with shipping, communication, etc. Tom

Just reminded from another post here, be consistent with the direction the thread pulls off the bobbin and passes through the tension spring. If it was originally installed to double back, and you flipped it over, it would now have less tension. Tom

If that is where you started from, did you hold onto the threads when you started? +1 on waiting until the needle is rising and the hook has caught the loop before going to reverse. Tom

Aspen here in the NW North America is pretty soft/weak. I'd trust Douglas Fir a lot farther than aspen. Tom